Little Belt
OperationalCrossingDK420 kV13 km
Basic information
6 fieldsAlso Known As
Lillebælt (Lillebælt) 420 kV cable · Little Belt 420 kV subsea/underground cable · Lillebælt 420 kV three‑core submarine cable
Status
operational
Owners
Project Company
Type
crossing
Website
Supply Chain (1)
Project Timeline (9)
17 Jun 2013Cable Installation Start
The Energinet-sourced notice "Elkabler over Lillebælt forsvinder" (Maritime Danmark) and the Ingeniøren article "Verdens tykkeste trefasede 400 kV-kabel lægges ud i Lillebælt" state that Energinet is laying two 400 kV submarine cables in Lillebælt and Fænø Sund, with the first cable being installed from 17–22 June 2013. This shows that submarine cable installation started on 17 June 2013.
Jan 2013Onshore Construction Start
The TV 2 news article "Fælder fire kæmpe el-master ved Lillebælt" reports that in Forskønnelsesprojekt Lillebælt, 12 km of 400 kV overhead line are being replaced by combined land and submarine cable systems, and states that this construction work began in January 2013.
1 Feb 2012Cable Supplier Selected
In February 2012, Energinet.dk awarded ABB a turnkey contract to design, supply, install, and commission a high-voltage cable system for the Little Belt strait in Denmark, selecting ABB as supplier of both 420 kV underground cables (about 30 km) and two three-core 420 kV submarine cables totaling about 15 km. The order, valued at around USD 30 million or approximately DKK 160 million, covers manufacturing the submarine cable in a single continuous length, cable terminations, and laying of the submarine sections, replacing an existing overhead transmission route across the Little Belt in an environmentally sensitive area.
30 Jan 2012Planning Consent Awarded
Authority: Klima-, Energi- og Bygningsministeriet · Licence: Tilladelse under § 4 i lov om Energinet.dk til gennemførelse af forskønnelsesprojekt ved Lillebælt
On 30 January 2012, the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Buildings granted Energinet.dk permission under §4 of the Energinet.dk Act for the Little Belt beautification project, authorising the cabling of approximately 12 km of two 400 kV overhead transmission lines between Jutland and Funen over the Little Belt, including associated cable transition stations, adjustments at nearby transformer stations, and dismantling of existing overhead lines.
2009Regulatory Other
Authority: Danish Energy Agency and Danish Environmental Protection Agency · Licence: Designation of Lillebælt 400 kV crossing as a visual enhancement project requiring replacement of overhead lines with underground and submarine cables
In 2009, following a November 2008 agreement in the Danish Parliament on principles for future expansion and undergrounding of the national transmission grid, Danish state environmental centres and Energinet.dk selected six 400 kV "visual enhancement" projects, including the Lillebælt (Little Belt) crossing. This decision designated the project to replace the existing double 400 kV overhead lines across the Lillebælt strait between Funen and the Jutland peninsula with underground and submarine cable circuits, as part of the national effort to improve the visual appearance of key sections of the 400 kV grid.
Date TBDCommercial Operations Full Power
The Lillebælt (Little Belt) transmission project, which replaces two 400 kV overhead line systems across the Lillebælt strait between the Jutland peninsula and the island of Funen with two approximately 13 km 420 kV cable circuits (combining underground and 3‑core submarine sections) and new transition substations, was fully installed and commissioned, enabling decommissioning of the former overhead lines and improving the visual appearance of this key part of Denmark’s 400 kV grid.
Date TBDCable Installation Complete
As part of a Danish grid visual enhancement initiative, the project at Lillebælt (Little Belt) replaced two 400 kV overhead line systems crossing the strait between Funen and the Jutland peninsula with new cable infrastructure. A total of 2 × 12 km of overhead lines at the strait crossing and on land were removed and substituted by two 420 kV cable circuits of about 13 km each, comprising underground sections on both the Jutland side and near Middelfart on Funen, and a 7.5 km submarine section through the Little Belt strait, completing the installation of the interconnector’s cable system and enabling decommissioning of the former overhead lines.
Date TBDGeophysical Survey Start
During the early engineering phase of the Little Belt 400 kV interconnector project replacing overhead lines across the Lillebælt (Little Belt) strait, the project team carried out seabed surveys as part of detailed project engineering to determine the optimal submarine and underground cable layout between Jutland and Funen.
Date TBDGeotech Survey Start
As part of the early design and engineering for the Little Belt 400 kV cable project that replaced existing overhead lines across the Lillebælt strait, soil investigations were undertaken to inform and optimise the routing and design of the underground and submarine cable system.